These are the best home delivery meal kits on the market

By 9Honey | Kitchen| 1 year ago

This morning 9Kitchen food editor Jane de Graaff dropped by the Today show to talk hosts Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson through the best of the different food delivery boxes that are on the market. Because when it comes to buying back time in the kitchen there are a couple of different ways to do it, and some will be better suited to your needs than others.

Here's what she had to say

First you need to think about what you want from your delivery service. Do you like to cook but hate the planning and shopping? Do you have limited time? Or do you like to plan and cook sometimes but have meals on hand for unexpectedly tiring days where you just can't face it? Well there's a box on the market for everyone. But the following four are our current favourites, and they each serve different purposes.

Check out the full clip above to see the walk through and exactly what Lisa loves about delivery boxes and what Karl's not so keen on.

Hello Fresh

This is a delivery box service that caters to families or couples for a few days to a full week depending on what you choose. You can order the amount that's right for you and it arrives at your door with all the fresh produce for the included recipes. But the best part is that it's all already pre-portioned up, so that you have the exact measurements for everything, with no leftover spices, vegies or ingredients that you might not get around to using again. It saves shopping, planning and waste, but leaves the fun part.

You don't get to choose the recipes that arrive in your box (though you can make limited changes), but they change them up regularly and by keeping the recipes the same across the board they can manage supply better and keep costs down, making the meals very cost effective. It's a very flexible system that allows you to start and stop at any time. Visit Hello Fresh.

Marley Spoon

This is a similar concept when it comes to the box delivery of fresh pre-portioned ingredients with recipes. They cater for couples and families and include everything you need for 4 days-worth of cooking. The difference here is that you can really customise the recipes that are included, selecting from a rotating range of around 12 recipes, so you can leave out anything you really don't like and double up on favourites. It's very versatile and a great way to keep the cooking and creativity in the house, minus the planning and shopping. Visit Marley Spoon.

Youfoodz

Next up we have a delivery service of fresh, pre-made meal plans. These can be purchased as 7 or 10 day plans that can include either two meals per day (breakfast and lunch, or lunch and dinner etc), or mins meals as well as snacks so you really don't have to shop and plan. The best part about these guys is that it's a simple reheat job, but the vacuum seal system keeps all the goodness in, so it's nothing like a packet meal from the supermarket. These are made by nutritionists and chefs and take whole foods and healthy diets into consideration. You can even choose clean eating options, bulk-up options and vegetarian options. It's highly personalised and gives you all the time in the kitchen back. But they are systems for one person, so if you're feeding a couple or family you'll need to take that into account. You can also order the individual meals. Visit Youfoodz.

Gourmet Dinner Service

Last but certainly not least is this delivery service of both fresh pre-made meals and frozen pre-made meals. In this system you can order individual individual meal items from mains, to sides, salads, desserts and even cocktail items. They simply need defrosting and/or reheating and the order can be customised to whatever quantity you need. Made by highly trained and passionate chefs, a blind taste comparison of these meals proved to us that you can't taste the difference between the frozen meals and freshly made ones. The perfect thing about these meals is that the a great to keep in the freezer for those times when you have been unexpectedly caught short, but still want to eat very well. They also do cocktail food and hampers that include packs for news mums, gluten free options and back to school emergency packs. It's a very personalised option and can easily cater for those times when you unexpectedly have no time to cook dinner. Visit Gourmet Dinner Service.

Our honest opinion is that these four options are some of the best on the market and they have uses for different situations. It should be noted that all of them use the freshest local ingredients wherever possible and it is evident in the end results, making the stigma around delivered, pre-made and TV dinners a thing of the distant past. In terms of value, meal for meal they work out about the same at around $9-$12 a meal for all services (unless you opt for fancier dishes). But for us, the true value is in the time they give you back on a busy day so that you can spend that time enjoying your food with the people you love, rather than desperately trying to prepare it. And that's a win-win-win situation as far as we're concerned. Because food should be fun, not a chore or a stressful part of the day. Oh yes, and it needs to be delicious.